Summary

For courses in Pharmacology, in LPN and Allied Health programs. This text presents pharmacology from an interdisciplinary perspective. Using a disease approach, it draws upon core concepts of anatomy, physiology, and pathology to make drug therapy understandable to students.

6. Drugs for Disorders Associated with the Autonomic Nervous System. 7. Drugs for Anxiety, Daytime Sedation and Insomnia. 8. Drugs for Seizures. 9. Drugs for Behavioral/Emotional Disorders, Mood Disorders and Psychoses. 10. Drugs for Parkinson's Disease and Dementia. 11. Drugs for the Control of Pain and Fever. 12. Drugs for Local and General Anesthesia.

Excerpts

Pharmacology is one of the most challenging subjects for those embarking on careers in the health sciences. By its very nature, pharmacology is an interdisciplinary subject, borrowing concepts from a wide variety of the natural and applied sciences. Prediction of drug action, the ultimate goal in the study of pharmacology, requires a thorough knowledge of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and pathology, as well as the social sciences of psychology and sociology. It is the interdisciplinary nature of pharmacology that makes the subject difficult to learn but also makes it fascinating to study. This text presents pharmacology from an interdisciplinary perspective. The text draws upon core concepts of anatomy, physiology, and pathology in order to make drug therapy more understandable. This text does not assume that the student comes to the course with a strong background in the natural or applied sciences. Although it is true that many students have prerequisite courses prior to attempting introductory pharmacology, such courses may have been taken many years prior. In this text, the prerequisite science-knowledge necessary for understanding drug therapy is reviewed prior to presenting the core concepts in pharmacology. APPROACH AND RATIONALE Core Concepts The authors have created a concise means of communicating the most important pharmacologic information to the student. Through the use of numbered Core Concepts,the student can quickly identify key ideas. These core concepts are stated at the beginning of each chapter so the student gets an overview of what is to be learned. Concept Reviewsare questions placed strategically throughout the chapter to stimulate student comprehension and retention. Also, Concept Summariesare repeated at the end of the chapter, which include brief summary of the important concepts. Disease and Body System Approach Core Concepts in Pharmacologyis organized according to body systems and diseases. This clearly places the drugs in context with how they are used therapeutically. The student can easily locate all relevant anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology in the same chapter in which the drugs are discussed. Prototype Approach to Drug Therapy The vast number of drugs taught in a pharmacology course is staggering. To facilitate learning, a prototype approach is used in which the one or two most representative drugs in each classification are introduced in detail. Drug Profileboxes are used to clearly indicate these important medications. Pharmacology as a Visual Discipline For many students, learning can be a highly visual process. Core Concepts in Pharmacologyis the first pharmacology text to incorporate Mechanisms in Action,which use computer animations to clearly demonstrate drug action. A colorful graphic of the animation is included in many of the Drug Profile boxes along with a description of the drug action. The complete animation, including audio narrations that describe each step of the mechanism, are provided on the included student CD-ROM. This text also incorporates generous use of figures and diagrams to illustrate and summarize key concepts. Health Professions Focus Core Concepts in Pharmacologyuses an interdisciplinary approach to pharmacology that is applicable for all basic nursing and allied health professions. Practical nurses, respiratory therapists, radiographers, EMTs, paramedics, physical therapist assistants, patient care assistants, home health care workers, and those beginning the allied health occupations can benefit from the unique structure and clarity of the text. On the Jobboxes, included in most chapters, show the student the application of pharmacology by various health professionals. The Health Professional as Teacher It is not sufficient for a health profess